David Perron was ready for an extended stay in Sin City.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward, and pending unrestricted free agent, held talks with the team earlier this season in hopes of inking a contract extension, he revealed during Friday's locker room cleanout, as per David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Perron can hit the open market as of July 1, but indicated his preference is to remain with the Golden Knights, telling Schoen, "I want to stay."

The 30-year-old is coming off a career year in which he picked up 66 points in 70 games, besting his previous high of 57 points set in the 2013-14 season. He then added nine points in 15 playoff appearances.

With those sorts of numbers, he could cash in this offseason, particularly as part of a free-agent market lacking quality right-shot forwards. A sizable raise could also be in the offering, as Perron's cap hit was only $3.75 million this season, as per CapFriendly.

The Golden Knights claimed Perron from the St. Louis Blues in last summer's expansion draft.

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With Vegas sportsbooks setting the Golden Knights' odds of winning the Stanley Cup as high as 500-1 last year, big-time payouts appeared to be on the horizon for people who bet on the expansion club.

But the Golden Knights ultimately fell to the Washington Capitals, who won the series 4-1 on Thursday night.

In hopes of minimizing liability, sportsbooks adjusted their odds midseason, and during the playoffs, motivated bettors to put their dollars down on Vegas' opponents. Many also offered partial payouts during the postseason and ahead of the Stanley Cup Final.

"This wasn't my biggest liability, but it was pretty significant," Wynn executive director of race and sports John Avello told ESPN's Ben Fawkes.

The Stanley Cup Final wrapped the NHL's first full season in Sin City - a year in which the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported a 36 percent uptick in the category of bets that includes hockey.

Would it really have been so bad if the hometown team had won it all?

"I was rooting for the town," Avello admitted. "We've taken hits before. If I was going to pay off on something, I (would've been) glad to pay off on the Knights. They've been the talk of the town."

All the sportsbook directors Fawkes spoke to agreed.

"We root for the house as much as we can, but this is such a unique story," said Nick Bogdanovich, William Hill director of trading. "I think we have a free waiver on this one."

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Chandler Stephenson already knows what he's doing for his day with the Stanley Cup.

The Washington Capitals forward and Saskatoon native plans to bring hockey's Holy Grail back to his home province, and more specifically, the community of Humboldt.

Humboldt, of course, is the home of the SJHL's Broncos, who were involved in the bus collision in April that resulted in the deaths of 16 people on board and injured 13 others.

"I knew a couple of the guys on the bus, so it's one of those things that I want to do for those guys and the people of Humboldt," Stephenson told Scott Oake of "Hockey Night in Canada."

This postseason run marked a breakthrough for Stephenson, as he appeared in all 24 games and netted two goals and five assists.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made up their mind about who they'll select with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft on June 22.

With Swedish blue-liner Rasmus Dahlin a virtual lock to be taken by the Buffalo Sabres in the top spot, the Hurricanes will choose from the best of the rest. As it stands, Carolina has its sights set on Russian sniper Andrei Svechnikov, general manager Don Waddell told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

While it's possible Carolina could trade the No. 2 pick, Waddell said he'd only do so for an offer that "blows us away." The Hurricanes haven't received such an offer to this point.

Svechnikov netted 40 goals and added 32 assists in 44 appearances this season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.

"These kinds of players don't come along that often," Waddell told Bridget Condon of ABC11. "That's why you have to be careful thinking about can we do better in the draft if we do something else. He's a special player and he could make a big impact and be a part of this progress as we move forward for a long time."

Svechnikov spent two days in Raleigh earlier this week, meeting with new head coach Rod Brind'Amour and Hurricanes owner Thomas Dundon.

The Montreal Canadiens own the draft's third selection and are expected to choose among forwards Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk, and defenseman Quinn Hughes.

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The San Jose Sharks have looked to Europe for a little offensive depth, agreeing to a one-year contract with Finnish free-agent forward Antti Suomela.

The 24-year-old has spent the past two campaigns with JYP of Liiga, the top division in Finland, where he scored a league-leading 60 points in 59 games last season.

"Antti's a very skilled center who has improved his development and production in each of his three seasons in Finland's top league," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. "We like his combination of skill, speed, and defensive awareness, and think his style of play fits with the way we play as a team."

Suomela also suited up at May's World Championship, where the Espoo native picked up one goal across four appearances.

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It doesn't appear a reunion is in the works between Ilya Kovalchuk and the New Jersey Devils.

Kovalchuk, the Russian superstar winger and unrestricted free agent, has expressed interest in coming back to the NHL, but a return to the Devils looks unlikely.

"I've not reached out to Kovalchuk's representatives and I've not heard from them, so there you go," Devils general manager Ray Shero told Mike Morreale of NHL.com.

Kovalchuk has spent the last five seasons in the KHL after retiring from the Devils in 2013, a move that tore up his 15-year contract.

A return to the NHL prior to this offseason would have seen the Devils retain his rights since Kovalchuk played out just three years of that pact before retiring. But now that Kovalchuk is over 35 years old, he's free to sign with any team.

The New York Rangers are among the teams to have reached out to Kovalchuk. Recent reports indicate the prolific goal-scorer is looking for an extended stay in the NHL, likely on a two- or three-year contract.

Kovalchuk picked up 63 points in 53 games with St. Petersburg SKA this season. He's also recorded 417 goals and 399 assists over 816 NHL games.

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Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik doesn't appear to have sustained an injury following a hit by Vegas Golden Knights forward James Neal that forced him to leave Game 3 midway through the third period.

"I'm not too concerned," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "He's fine."

Orpik left the ice following the hit, and some wondered whether he was undergoing the league's concussion protocol after hitting his face on the ice.

The veteran defender is a frequent critic of the analytics crowd, but there has been no denying his value this postseason. He's averaged nearly 17 minutes of ice time a game, while he's also chipped in a game-winning goal.

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The Arizona Coyotes want to make it very difficult for Oliver Ekman-Larsson to walk away from the desert.

Following a report last month that indicated the two sides are discussing an eight-year extension worth north of $8 million a season, it's fair to say the team is pulling out all the stops to re-sign its star blue-liner.

"We've been very clear that we're willing to do whatever we possibly can to have him come back," Coyotes general manager John Chayka told Adam Kimelman of NHL.com. "(We) think he's a heck of a defenseman, heck of a player, heck of a person.

"Really believe in him and what he can bring to our team. Trying to get something done to lock him up long, long term. Build around him and really put together a team he deserves."

Moves to appease OEL started last season, when the Coyotes recruited Ekman-Larsson's brother, Kevin, to suit up for their minor-league club.

The team also acquired fellow Swedish defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson from the Chicago Blackhawks, a move that came at Ekman-Larsson's request.

Ekman-Larsson has spent his entire career with the Coyotes, tallying 290 points in 576 games. He finished last season with 14 goals and 28 assists across 82 appearances.

The 26-year-old is entering the last year of his current contract that carries a $5.5-million cap hit. He can re-sign with Arizona as soon as July 1.

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Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back in the lineup for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kuznetsov left early into Game 2 with an upper-body injury after he was on the receiving end of a hit by Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb.

On Saturday morning, the Capitals forward took part in pregame line rushes in his usual spot between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.

Kuznetsov sits atop the playoff scoring race with 25 points in 21 games.

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Ilya Kovalchuk is ready to return to the NHL for the long haul.

The Russian superstar and unrestricted free agent is courting interest from possible NHL suitors, with the idea of a two- or three-year deal in mind, reports Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Kovalchuk has spent the past five seasons in the KHL after he retired from the New Jersey Devils in 2013, a move that cut short his previously signed 15-year contract.

The Devils retained his rights following his NHL retirement, a rule that may have prevented his return in past offseasons. But that's no longer the case, as Kovalchuk is now over age 35 and thus free to join any team of his choosing. He can officially sign as of July 1.

The New York Rangers are among the teams who have reached out to Kovalchuk.

In 53 games with the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg this season, Kovalchuk collected 63 points. The former Atlanta Thrashers forward tallied 816 points in as many NHL appearances.

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